Tentatively, I lift a hand, feeling my power gather in my palm. My inner skeptic is still positive this is where I die, but my intuition is saying something different, and I trust it above all else.
The magic coiled in my palm builds, driven by some primeval witchy instinct. It makes my flesh tingle and causes my fingers to twitch a little.
The panther closes the last of the distance between us, pressing its face into my outstretched hand, as though desperate for the touch of my magic.
And that’s exactly what the creature gets.
Power bursts from my palm at the contact, turning the air around us a glittering pale hue of orange. It slips into the panther just as easily as a breath of air, and I feel it connect. Something deep within me snaps into place then, magically linking me to the creature.
I stare up at the big cat as it gazes down at me, its face still pressed against my palm.
After a moment, it moves from my hand, leaning in as though it needs to get a closer look at my eyes. Then, all at once, it gives my cheek a lick that feels like it took off a layer or two of skin.
I reach up and dazedly pet the animal, my hand shaking a little, while inside…inside, I sense our freshly forged bond.
Holy shit, I think I just bagged myself a familiar.
I stare at the big cat for the dozenth time as I brush myself off and get my bearings.
The coven is going to shit bricks when they see my familiar.
Shit. Bricks.
I actually smirk a little at the thought. The phrase “be careful what you wish for” came from witches.
The panther—my panther—is massive. I’d never truly appreciated that about these great cats until now, when I’m standing next to one.
Of all the animals I could’ve gotten matched with, I got this one. He—and uh, dude’s definitely a boy—is much prouder and scarier than the familiar I imagined for myself. To be honest, I was thinking I was more of a chinchilla girl.
Apparently not.
Even now, I can feel the soft hum of my connection to the great cat. It’s a strange feeling, being bonded to another essence—and to that of an animal, no less. It’s like discovering you have an extra appendage, only this one is sentient.
I close my eyes now and focus on that sentience and the bond that binds us together. The longer I concentrate on our connection, the more I feel a pull to slip down it.
So I do.
One moment I’m sensing the magical bond, and the next, I slide into the panther’s mind.
Most of the creature’s thoughts are barred from me, but I can feel his mild hunger, and I sense that he’s otherwise in good health. His strength simmers just below the surface, and inside his head, I feel stronger, more athletic.
I breathe in, and through his nose, I smell a dozen different scents, each with its own nuanced meaning. Most shocking of all, when I blink and the world comes into focus, I can see myself through his eyes.
Freaking trippy as hell.
I swing his head around, taking in our surroundings. His vision is sharper yet less vibrant, and I can see all sorts of things in the shadows of the jungle.
I slip back into my own head, and it’s like moving from one room to another—no magic needed, no memories devoured.
I have to place my hand on a nearby tree while I catch my breath.
“You are… This is…” Unbelievable. Extraordinary.
And most of all, unexpected.
Really, really unexpected.
Despite how desperate I was to find my familiar, I hadn’t truly believed it would happen on this trip.
Tentatively, I step forward and stroke my panther’s fur, still half expecting him to bite my hand off. But he lets me pet him, even closing his eyes and leaning into my touch.
“What should I name you?” I ask him.
The big cat says nothing, just continues to lean into me.
“Phantom?” I try the name out. I mean, he is scary.
No reaction. I think that might be a no.
Goddess above, I’m trying to read the thoughts of a wild cat.
“Onyx?” That one’s pretty literal.
No reaction from my familiar.
“Ebenezer?” I throw out.
Now he gives me a look, and it’s not a nice one.
“I’m kidding,” I say. I take in the panther all over again. “Hmmm…you’re a serious guy.” Serious enough to deserve a powerful name, one of a ruler.
From the foggy wisps of my memory, I drag a name forth. “Nero.”
The big cat turns his head and licks my palm with that abrasive tongue of his.
“Do you like that?”
The panther butts his head against my hand, and I think that’s a yes.